28 March 2024 , 11:12
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Former tennis champion Andy Roddick admits he was surprised by Novak Djokovic's decision to part ways with long-time coach Goran Ivanisevic.
But the American admits he's now expecting to see more changes from the world No.1.
It was announced earlier this week that the 24-time Grand Slam winner and Ivanisevic are splitting after five hugely successful years together. Twelve of Djokovic's major triumphs have come under the guidance of the 52-year-old, including three Grand Slams in 2023 - with Djokovic losing the final of Wimbledon to Carlos Alcaraz in the other.
Djokovic thanked Ivanisevic for his work in a heartfelt post on Instagram on Wednesday, but stopped short of sharing why the decision has been made to part ways.
However, Djokovic hasn't had the best start to 2024, failing to win any of the three tournaments he's played so far and at times looking uncharacteristically off his game.
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That's something that Roddick believes may have prompted a rethink from Djokovic, and the decision to make changes off-court.
Talking to The Tennis Channel, Roddick said: "I was surprised. You don't look to make moves in March or April. This has had to be a surprise to both of them. There had to be something to set this in motion mid-season."
Andy Roddick has spoken about Djokovic's announcement ((Image: Getty))
Djokovic announced that he had parted ways with Goran Ivanisevic on Instagram ((Image: Getty))Roddick hinted that Ivanisevic's departure might be part of a bigger shake-up in Djokovic's team, following his split from long-term agent Edoardo Artaldi last year.
He added: "Djokovic has kind of turned over his entire team - his management, now Ivanisevic. I'll be curious to see who he goes to next."
Djokovic has not announced any new additions to his coaching team and he appeared downbeat when announcing the decision.
He wrote: "I remember clearly the moment I invited Goran to be part of my team. It was in 2018, and Marian (Vajda) and I were looking to innovate and bring some serve magic to our duo."
"In fact, not only have we brought serve but also lots of laughter, fun, year-end No1 rankings, record-breaking achievements and 12 more grand slams (and a few finals) to the court since then. Goran and I decided to stop working together a few days ago. Our on-court chemistry had its ups and downs but our friendship was always rock solid.
"Thanks for everything, my friend."